Congressional candidates Duarte and Gray face off in public Modesto Bee debate

Brace yourself, and educate yourself.

That’s our advice to voters as campaign season heats up.

Brace, because the November ballot will be long, busy and perhaps confusing. Voters will be asked to choose candidates on all levels of public office — local, state and federal. All will vie with seven statewide propositions for voters’ attention, as anyone with a TV already knows.

To help with the “educate yourself” part, The Modesto Bee Editorial Board is happy to present another series of ever popular, sometimes testy and always informative recorded debates between candidates in our area’s highest-profile races. We’ve completed four so far that you can view right now, and several more are coming up.

With so many races and faces to track, The Bee’s video debates provide a fun and convenient way to get to know candidates. Hearing their voices and seeing their expressions gives added perspective to their views on important issues, from abortion and gun control to taxes and gas prices.

Which four debates can you see right now?

Duarte v. Gray — live and in person

We’re getting there. First, a plug for the season’s one-and-only (this year) live and in-person congressional debate between John Duarte and Adam Gray, set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 in downtown Modesto, jointly hosted by The Modesto and Fresno Bees and The Merced Sun-Star.

The first thing to know is you don’t have to attend to see it; the event will be live-streamed at modbee.com and on The Bee’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter sites, allowing viewers to see it in real time, or after. You choose.

Does it sound like we’re pushing the remote viewing option? Although we hope for a decent crowd, seating will be limited and restricted to the first 70 in line with reservations. So yes, viewing from home is your best bet.

If you’re intent on going, however, the doors will open at 6 p.m. at Nine3One, whose address is 931 10th St. It’s a shared workspace with a beautiful, brick-lined event room that will be perfect for a vigorous discussion of issues facing California’s 13th Congressional District. Leave any banners, posters and noisemakers at home, as they will not be allowed inside.

Duarte, a Republican and nursery owner, is running against Gray, a Democratic state Assemblyman. The district stretches across five counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera and Fresno. Here, it covers Ceres and Empire plus all parts of Stanislaus County west of Highway 99.

The event will be moderated by Garth Stapley, opinions editor of The Modesto Bee, and Joe Kieta, editor of the Fresno Bee and Merced Sun-Star.

If you have suggestions for questions to ask the candidates, submit them for consideration when you sign up to attend at EventBrite, or send them directly to mfigueroa@modbee.com.

How to see debates, endorsements

In addition to helping voters get a feel for candidates, these debates inform The Bee’s editorial recommendations. All are attended by our volunteer Community Advisory Board, whose members participate in editorial board deliberations; currently they are Tahmirah Mecca, Doug Maner and Tina Driskill.

Keep an eye out for Bee endorsements in the newspaper around the first and second weeks of October, about the time ballots arrive in mailboxes.

No need to wait, though, to dive into Bee debates.

Modesto City Schools — Mari Magana is challenging incumbent Cindy Marks in Area 1 of our region’s largest school district, and Jolene Daly is challenging incumbent Charlene West in Area 5. All four appear in this forum.

Senate District 4 — Marie Alvarado-Gil faces Tim Robertson in this humongous district, which sprawls across 13 counties anchored by Stanislaus. Both are Democrats hoping to represent a right-leaning constituency.

Assembly District 22 — Modesto’s Jessica Self discusses issues in this more compact district covering most of Stanislaus County and north Merced County. Her opponent, Juan Alanis, did not attend.

Proposition 30 — Two representatives from each side square off in this lively debate over a proposed wealth tax benefiting electric vehicles, charging stations and wildfire suppression. Stapley moderates on behalf of McClatchy California, whose newspapers are in Modesto, Sacramento, Fresno, Merced and San Luis Obispo, and whose editorial boards will issue a joint endorsement.

Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for other debates featuring candidates for city councils in Modesto, Turlock and Ceres, for mayor of Turlock and Patterson, and for the Modesto Irrigation District. Various discussions with proponents and opponents of other statewide initiatives will post as well.